Theresa May shouldn’t be kept in No10 just because she’s a woman, Tory MP warns

Steve Double was hitting back at claims that women could punish the Conservatives if male MPs were responsible for kicking out another woman leader

By Natasha Clark

4th February 2018, 1:43 pm

Updated: 5th February 2018, 1:01 pm

THERESA May shouldn't be kept in No10 just "because she's a woman", a Tory MP has said.

Steve Double was hitting back at claims that women could punish the Conservatives if male MPs were responsible for kicking out another woman leader.

Going walkies? Theresa May is facing rumours of a plot to oust her and replace her with Brexiteers

In leaked WhatsApp messages to the Mail on Sunday, the backbencher argued that it would "do us no favours" if she is kept in office just for being female.

He said: "If the only reason we shouldn't oust the PM is because she's a woman, but if it was a man it would be OK - that's feminism gone bonkers."

But he stressed there were "lots of good reasons not to undermine the PM" - suggesting he wouldn't be backing a movement to force her out.

St Austell and Newquay MP Mr Double was responding to concerns that if male MPs were responsible for kicking out Mrs May like they were with Margaret Thatcher in the early 1990s, voters could punish the party.

PA:Press Association

Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher was forced out by her own (male) MPs

Nadine Dorries said in the WhatsApp group: "I am pointing out just a smigdin of the s**t that will be heaped upon us if TM is ousted by male MPs."

She said that "women are in no mood to let an act like that pass unpunished" in a hint at the backlash from women following strings of sexual assault allegations in Westminster and Hollywood.

"We can't ignore what happened to Margaret Thatcher.

"Removing our first female PM could be seen as inevitable. Removing two will be seen as something else entirely".

WORLD'S CLASS

FARCEBOOK

MAYDAY

PM faces local election meltdown as Tories on course for worst EVER result in London

ALL OUT!

Six senior Labour staffers quit before new general secretary Jennie Formby starts

TEACHING EXTREMISM

Anti-racist campaign 'sent Islamic extremists into schools and unis'

REMOANERS' EU BASE

Eurocrats open London embassy to EU activists for anti-Brexit campaigns

DADDY DAYCARE

All new dads should get THREE MONTHS paternity leave, MPs say

The former Prime Minister was challenged by former Defence Secretary Micheal Heseltine in a plot with Geoffrey Howe in the early 1990s.

Mr Howe's resignation speech stunned MPs in the House of Commons - and was described as an act of revenge.

Just a year before her Chancellor Nigel Lawson had resigned, and forced her into a leadership challenge - which she saw off - but her MPs grew more and more dissatisfied with her until they forced her to quit.

Ex-Brexit minister tears into Theresa May warning her 'meaningless waffle' is 'leading Britain off a gangplank'